Out with the booze and in with the buds. Successful and savvy women are increasingly opting for cannabis over alcohol. While women consuming cannabis isn’t a new phenomenon, as stigmas shift, more ladies are discovering the virtues of this plant. Trading in hangovers for hashish, discover why more women prefer cannabis over cocktails.

Cannabis over cocktails

Cosmos, Margaritas, and Mimosas – these colorful concoctions have become synonymous with ladies’ night out. However, they come at a price. Not only can cocktails wreak havoc on your health, they also can leave you feeling miserable the day after.

In the United States alone, nearly 80,000 people die from alcohol related diseases. Yet, cannabis has been the cause of zero deaths. In fact, cannabis has been shown to provide a number of health benefits. It’s no wonder then why women prefer cannabis. Here are just a few (of the many reasons) why so many ladies love mary jane.

1. Cannabis is better in the bedroom

Too many rounds at the bar are a recipe for disaster when it comes to intimacy. Not only is alcohol more likely to lead to decisions you regret, it also makes having good sex a serious challenge.

According to Dr. Abigael San, clinical psychologist and alcohol expert, alcohol reduces sexual sensitivity. For men this means trouble getting and keeping an erection. While for women it means decreased lubrication and trouble achieving orgasm.

Cannabis, on the other hand, has the opposite effect. A well-known aphrodisiac, cannabis can increase sexual desire and pleasure. Researchers believe this is attributed to the CB1 receptor. When we consume cannabis this receptor is activated. As Dr. Mitch Earlywine explained to NY Mag:

That CB1 receptor seems to be involved in improved tactile sensations and general euphoria.

In other words, cannabis enhances physical stimulation. Which means that not only do sensations feel out of this world, we also get a total body high. Instead of drunken sloppy sex, cannabis makes you more in tune with the present moment, leading to greater intimacy and more orgasms. What woman doesn’t want that?

2. It doesn’t leave you hungover

If you ever had one too many drinks in your life, you are all too familiar with this feeling. Pounding headache coupled with nausea, dizziness, and excessive thirst – hangovers are no laughing matter.

Experiencing a hangover is not only miserable, it’s dangerous. Alcohol irritates the stomach and small intestine. This, in turn, causes inflammation.

However, it is the byproduct acetaldehyde our bodies produce when metabolizing alcohol that is the real danger. This byproduct is up to 30 times more toxic than alcohol. Some of the damaging effects of acetaldehyde include:

Consuming cannabis, on the other hand, poses minimal risk. While some people may feel a bit groggy after one too many joints the night before, it pales in comparison to the effects of alcohol.

For many women, excessive alcohol intake isn’t worth the risk. A hangover can ruin an entire day. Why not relax with a midnight toke rather than a shot of tequila? After all, smoking too much cannabis isn’t going to leave you out of commission with a throbbing headache.

3. Cannabis has nutritional value

Did you know cocktails are loaded with sugar? To put things into perspective, a rum and coke has more sugar than a peanut butter cup. A pina colada contains an estimated 68 grams of sugar. This equates to about 7 ½ peanut butter cups.

Combined with the fact that alcohol is full of empty calories and reduces the body’s ability to burn fat, it’s easy to see why alcohol can be so detrimental to our health.

Cannabis, on the other hand, is a nutritional powerhouse. Unlike alcohol, cannabis is a vegetable that is full of minerals, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. Eating raw cannabis supplies the body with health boosters such as essential amino acids and fatty acids.

Although smoking cannabis has been known to lead to the munchies, having healthy snacks on hand can be a quick fix. Women who are conscious about their health find that consuming cannabis is a far better option than drinking alcohol.

4. Consuming too much isn’t fatal

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 30,000 deaths annually can be attributed to alcohol. If that isn’t shocking enough, keep in mind these figures does not even include accidental deaths.

Meanwhile, cannabis has been attributed to zero deaths. In fact, the CDC doesn’t even have a category for cannabis. Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse states,

You can die binge-drinking five minutes after you’ve been exposed to alcohol. This isn’t going to happen with marijuana.

The risks of too much alcohol consumption are even greater for women. Women are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. Because women tend to have less water in their bodies than men, they develop higher concentrations of alcohol in their blood.

Researchers believe this is why women are more at risk for overdosing on alcohol than men. When you consider that a fatal cannabis overdose would take 40,000 times the amount of THC, the contrast is clear.

A plant with a 10,000-year history has yet to be linked to a single fatality versus a man-made toxin attributed to thousands of deaths – which substance do you think is safer?

5. It enhances rather than numbs feelings

Alcohol is a depressant. While drinking can lead to a temporary lift in mood, long-term it can be disastrous for mental health. In fact, heavy alcohol consumption has a direct correlation with depression.

Regular drinking can lead to lower levels of serotonin – a chemical messenger that regulates mood. So while alcohol may initially lower inhibitions it can also lead to poor decision making.

According to the NHS in Scotland, over half of the people who ended up in the hospital because of self-harm said alcohol had been a factor.

Cannabis, when used responsibly, can put us in touch with our emotions. Rather than suppressing our feelings like alcohol, cannabis can awaken our senses to the moment at hand. After all, how many epiphanies have you experienced while drunk in comparison to being high?

Women throughout the ages have come to find cannabis an incredible tool for deepening their awareness. From Maya Angelou to Margaret Mead, countless leading ladies revered the powers of the cannabis plant. So it’s no wonder then why modern women are doing the same.

6. It is more relaxing than drinking

Music blasting, heels clacking, and the sweet smells of old beer fermenting in the air are sure signs you’ve made it to the bar. While this may be a perfect night out to some, many ladies are starting to think otherwise.

After all, alcohol can affect people in a variety of ways. For some, drinking can bring out violent and aggressive behaviors. Which may explain why alcohol is associated with several criminal activities such as: